Extern

Abstract:
Benefits of voluntariness – The company image as a multidimensional motive for socially responsible engagement of enterprises in city and region The voluntary local and regional responsible behaviour of non-governmental actors (e.g. companies, patrons or foundations) and the impacts of their actions on society, economy and planning have been receiving growing attention in geographical debates, ranging from governmental research projects and topic-related events to scientific literature. One of the major questions becoming apparent in this debate is how to foster voluntary responsible behaviour in order to address those local and regional shortcomings, the nation state is not able to address itself. A better understanding of the underlying reasons of responsible behaviour is estimated to be of crucial importance in order to answer this question. By focusing on empirical literature dealing with the reasons of corporate citizenship activities of companies, the article reveals the aspect “improvement of the corporate image” as one of the most important levers of voluntary responsible behaviour that has not yet received much attention in geographical research. The article draws on the relevant literature of marketing and consumer behaviour in order to demonstrate the functional, intrinsic and social dimensions of the corporate image for a company’s target groups as well as the benefits for the company itself. In addition the concept of local identity and its impact on the need of local companies to be known as responsible corporate citizens is discussed.